Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: Montauk + Chai = Casual Summery Outfit

Hey sewing friends! I hope your summer is treating you right thus far and you're soaking in the rays (if that's your thing). I've basically been sewing current-season clothes as of late, but I just realized that these pants will happily see me through practically the end of the year. 


By this point, you know how much I love linen!  I love sewing with it and I love wearing it.  I reached a little outside my comfort zone with this color, choosing a light and pretty Cornmeal Linen and I'm really happy that I made the effort. This texture is really lovely and quite soft. While some linens like to crease deeply, this texture is far more of a light rumpled effect. Perfect because they look presentable right out of the dryer. The nuanced buttery yellow is a little lighter than I imagined and quite a lively neutral. I had planned from the get-go for this yardage to be some type of bottom half of an outfit, and this will look marvelous with many solid colors or prints on top, don't you think? 

Because linen makes good pants even more magical, I poked around for a pattern style that would pair nicely and came across the Liesl + Co Montauk Trousers. Just the word "trousers" alone elevates them well beyond "pants." 😂 They appear nicely drafted and include great illustrated instructions. I checked the fit with a quick pocketless muslin in size 4 and my only change was add 1/2" to the back rise. Easy!  They are straightforward and if you're familiar with sewing pants, you probably won't even need to reference the instructions. The hem slit is a particularly great detail, and I'm imagining adding elastic to the hem cuffs for a different look on another pair. 

My Montauks needed an equally summery top, so I stuck with the same designer, Liesl + Co, and fell in love with the shoulder pleats of the Chai Tee. Again, the instructions included are very clear to follow (always important to me!) as are the illustrations. I love a soft, drapey knit top, and as a bonus, the Chai Tee states you can size up and sew a woven too. The shape of the sleeve cuffs is beautiful, and the yoke is sewn with a burrito roll so the inside is finished neatly. There's nothing like a finished garment that's classy inside and out. 


My Chai Tee fabric is a slightly weighty and completely gorgeous shade of dark pink called Muted Wine. The fibers are a blend of rayon and cotton and lycra. The cotton lends some perfect sturdiness since rayon I find can be delicate in any fabric weave, and I love love love the 8% lycra content. The fabric recovers so well and maintains the beautiful drape too. After sewing with the higher lycra content a few times, I vastly prefer this amount in a rayon knit. 

And we get to the cherry on top! How gorgeous are these Kylie and the Machine tags? I've been admiring them on Instagram for ages, and finding them at Fabric Mart was a big thrill. They add a level of professionalism to my clothing and are really stinkin' cute at the same time! This pack has 14 teeny tags, two of each color and I had a lot of fun musing over which color label to add to my garments. I will definitely be adding more KATM tags to my sewing projects and getting my hands on more of the different designs. They are just a delight. 


I hope you're inspired to add a new designer to your repertoire or to try a fun color of linen in your upcoming sews. 

Happy summer!

KATIE  @kak513


Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories JERSEY KNIT & LINEN.
You can also shop our newly added Liesl + Co Patterns HERE.
And our selection of Kylie and the Machine tags HERE.

Comments

  1. Beautiful outfit. I’m wondering how you launder the linen?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Celebrating warm weather with Spring sewing!

Hi sewing friends! I don’t know about you but boy, was winter cold and dreary this year! The weather here in the Philadelphia area has been slowly improving, but Spring sure did take her sweet old time to arrive. So by April, I was definitely in the headspace of needing to sew up things that were either bright and cheery or meant for the warmer weather I am very much craving right now. I recently purchased a few SewBexx Patterns so I took them on a test run to create some Spring makes. First on my list was to make a top using this absolutely gorgeous ITY fabric I picked up last year. I had two yards which was enough for a long sleeve shirt. I chose the Olivia top, which is oversized with a drop shoulder, has multiple lengths and a split hem. I think the pattern is intended for heavier fabrics but I was envisioning how lovely this top would look with the drape of ITY knit fabric, and it did not disappoint. It came together for me quickly and was a straight forward sew…and I love the br...

Made By A Fabricista | Chasing Time: My White Rabbit-Inspired Look for Atlanta Frocktails

For this year’s Atlanta Frocktails, I found myself captivated by a character who’s been quietly tugging at my imagination for years—the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. There’s something so relatable about his frantic energy, always checking the time, always running late. While he’s worried about being on time, I’m usually calculating how late I can be and still technically arrive on time. Spoiler: I’m often wrong. It’s a cycle of procrastination and anxiety that I know all too well. So when I imagined my look for Frocktails, I thought—why not honor the White Rabbit? After all, time has been chasing me too. But this look isn’t just about Wonderland whimsy. It’s also deeply inspired by this year’s Met Gala theme, Tailored for You, which includes a focus on Black Dandyism—a celebration of Black elegance, intellect, and expressive style. I’ve been obsessed with this theme since it was announced. As a Black creative, I find it powerful and moving to see style used as a way to reclaim...

Made By A Fabricista: Getting into the Spirit of Summer

I'm not gonna lie y'all, I had a completely different project I wanted to do, but that's gonna take more time, and I wanted something cute, comfy and fun to wear for my birthday on the 19th. When I saw this goldenrod & off white linen jacquard , I thought it looked a bit like the design on a Koroks body, especially Makar from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker! I started with the bodice from the free Elderberry dress pattern from Mood, but deviated for the skirt, it felt a little plain of a design, and I had scraps of a Korok fabric that I knew would be a nice accent with some cut out pockets. I've made these pockets once before, deciding the cut out was based on aligning with the seam on the bodice for how far in, and as for how low depended on where I wanted the pouch of the pocket to start. From there I cut the visible part of the pocket, making sure to match the curve of the waist and following the line of the side seams of the skirt, as well as cutting a facing to...